Duckworth becomes first hurricane-hunter

On July 17, 1943, Army Air Force Lt. Col. Joseph P. Duckworth flew his single-engine AT-6 trainer into the eye of a category 1 hurricane bearing down on the Texas coast.

His purpose: To prove it could be done.

In his report, he stated, "The only embarrassing episode would have been engine failure, which, with the strong ground winds, would probably have prevented a landing, and certainly would have made descent via parachute highly inconvenient."

Today, NOAA hurricane-hunter planes, and similar propeller-driven models flown by a special Air Force unit out of Mississippi, are flown directly into storms with winds of 150 mph or higher